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Under Darkness
A Series of Unrelated Standalone Sci-Fi Novels; No Sequels and No Cliffhangers
THE SUN VANISHED AND DARKNESS FELL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY
AND THEN THE METEORS BEGAN TO FALL...
Bill Steele is in the trenches, trying to survive in the competitive world of luxury vacation resorts on the island of Kauai. Today is a particularly bad day; the water main burst and his guests are demanding refunds and promising bad reviews. In the middle of this, a dark shadow falls over the island. It's not a lunar eclipse, because Bill can clearly see the crescent moon shimmering on the water. This is something else.
Moments later, the meteors begin to fall. One of them lands in the water just beyond the resort. Everyone flees screaming to their rooms, expecting a wall of water to follow, but the tsunami never arrives. Bill and his daughter watch the news from the relative safety of their third-floor suite. The anchorman is fleeing from his hillside vantage point with his cameraman in hot pursuit. Their muffled screams are the last thing anyone hears before the signal is lost....
THE SUN VANISHED AND DARKNESS FELL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY
AND THEN THE METEORS BEGAN TO FALL...
Bill Steele is in the trenches, trying to survive in the competitive world of luxury vacation resorts on the island of Kauai. Today is a particularly bad day; the water main burst and his guests are demanding refunds and promising bad reviews. In the middle of this, a dark shadow falls over the island. It's not a lunar eclipse, because Bill can clearly see the crescent moon shimmering on the water. This is something else.
Moments later, the meteors begin to fall. One of them lands in the water just beyond the resort. Everyone flees screaming to their rooms, expecting a wall of water to follow, but the tsunami never arrives. Bill and his daughter watch the news from the relative safety of their third-floor suite. The anchorman is fleeing from his hillside vantage point with his cameraman in hot pursuit. Their muffled screams are the last thing anyone hears before the signal is lost....
462 pages, Paperback
Published December 15, 2018
1303 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Jasper T. Scott
102 books513 followersJasper Scott is a USA Today bestselling author of more than 20 sci-fi novels. With over a million books sold, Jasper's work has been translated into various languages and published around the world.
Jasper writes fast-paced books with unexpected twists and flawed characters. Join the author's mailing list to get two FREE books: https://files.jaspertscott.com/mailin...
Jasper writes fast-paced books with unexpected twists and flawed characters. Join the author's mailing list to get two FREE books: https://files.jaspertscott.com/mailin...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
December 20, 2018
Wow! Awesome alien invasion thriller! Very realistic characters and good plot. How do you fight aliens that nobody believes are here?!
December 7, 2019
Under Darkness is a really interesting book. It is a standalone book, which for Scott, was an interesting concept to start with, as he normally writes series, but then when you get into the book itself, you are immediately captivated by a very thrilling story.
Under Darkness follows a set of individuals who are on a holiday resort in Hawaii. One of these is Bill, a guy who has recently been divorced, and was fairly successful in his past life, so not wanting to remain with that life, decides that he will buy a beach front hotel and spend the remainder of his days, lapping up the sun, drinking cocktails, and letting someone else do the hard work in his hotel. Poor Bill.
He also has a teenage Daughter, who is making him go prematurely grey, and giving him a stomach ulcer (All Dad’s with a teenage Daughter can understand this one….)
The start of this book is rather amusing as it takes us through a ‘Day in the life of Bill’, and how his dream of owning his hotel, and living it up have kind of fallen flat, even more so on this particular day due to a major plumbing issue.
However, this day is different for other reasons.
As Bill is assaulted (both verbally and physically) by his customers because of a lack of water (real first world problems here), the island they are on suddenly falls under total darkness. (Wow, didn’t see that coming, like from the title or the cover or anything!!)
But this is where Jasper T. Scott is at his best, building amazing intensity and mystery as you wonder what is happening around the island, and to various guests.
It quickly becomes apparent that Aliens of an unknown nature have landed on the island, and Bill, along with a group of people, made up on his Daughter, and some guests, including a former Soldier who lives on the island and is a bit of a prepper, all have to survive this initial onslaught.
Whilst the start of the book might appear to be much like other ‘Alien Invasion’ stories, there is a lot more to this story than is originally apparent, but I am not going to give away spoilers here.
There are a lot of twists and turns, as is expected from a Scott novel, making this a great fun read.
As with all his other books as well, Jasper T. Scott has created a fascinating and eclectic group of characters to tell his story. His characters are incredibly well thought out, in-depth, and for the short time frame that they are given (A single novel, as opposed to the normal 3 novel series you normally expect), you get to learn a lot about them.
Bill is just a brilliant character, as the down on his luck Dad, trying his best, but having basically no chance at all, and to top it off, Aliens have landed on him. His Daughter, whilst a typical teenager, is not overly annoying and is actually a really great character in this story, Scott has obviously had a lot to do with teenage Daughters, and used this experience to create a very believable character (we can feel sorry for him later).
One of the best characters in the book is Don, the former Soldier that they pick up along the way. His gruff attitude, hilarious one-liners, and ability to survive just about anything, make him very likeable, and you find yourself hoping that with all the carnage in this story, that he will make it to the end (I’m not going to let you know, you can see when you get there!). There are a multitude of minor characters as well that are just outstanding and add a lot of fun to the book (The CDC Dr is also a favourite, you will understand why when you read it).
Overall, this is just a great fun read, with some fantastic characters, a good story line, that whilst it might not be the best ever Alien Invasion story, it is absolutely worth the read. Make sure you grab a copy, it is definitely worth it!!
Under Darkness follows a set of individuals who are on a holiday resort in Hawaii. One of these is Bill, a guy who has recently been divorced, and was fairly successful in his past life, so not wanting to remain with that life, decides that he will buy a beach front hotel and spend the remainder of his days, lapping up the sun, drinking cocktails, and letting someone else do the hard work in his hotel. Poor Bill.
He also has a teenage Daughter, who is making him go prematurely grey, and giving him a stomach ulcer (All Dad’s with a teenage Daughter can understand this one….)
The start of this book is rather amusing as it takes us through a ‘Day in the life of Bill’, and how his dream of owning his hotel, and living it up have kind of fallen flat, even more so on this particular day due to a major plumbing issue.
However, this day is different for other reasons.
As Bill is assaulted (both verbally and physically) by his customers because of a lack of water (real first world problems here), the island they are on suddenly falls under total darkness. (Wow, didn’t see that coming, like from the title or the cover or anything!!)
But this is where Jasper T. Scott is at his best, building amazing intensity and mystery as you wonder what is happening around the island, and to various guests.
It quickly becomes apparent that Aliens of an unknown nature have landed on the island, and Bill, along with a group of people, made up on his Daughter, and some guests, including a former Soldier who lives on the island and is a bit of a prepper, all have to survive this initial onslaught.
Whilst the start of the book might appear to be much like other ‘Alien Invasion’ stories, there is a lot more to this story than is originally apparent, but I am not going to give away spoilers here.
There are a lot of twists and turns, as is expected from a Scott novel, making this a great fun read.
As with all his other books as well, Jasper T. Scott has created a fascinating and eclectic group of characters to tell his story. His characters are incredibly well thought out, in-depth, and for the short time frame that they are given (A single novel, as opposed to the normal 3 novel series you normally expect), you get to learn a lot about them.
Bill is just a brilliant character, as the down on his luck Dad, trying his best, but having basically no chance at all, and to top it off, Aliens have landed on him. His Daughter, whilst a typical teenager, is not overly annoying and is actually a really great character in this story, Scott has obviously had a lot to do with teenage Daughters, and used this experience to create a very believable character (we can feel sorry for him later).
One of the best characters in the book is Don, the former Soldier that they pick up along the way. His gruff attitude, hilarious one-liners, and ability to survive just about anything, make him very likeable, and you find yourself hoping that with all the carnage in this story, that he will make it to the end (I’m not going to let you know, you can see when you get there!). There are a multitude of minor characters as well that are just outstanding and add a lot of fun to the book (The CDC Dr is also a favourite, you will understand why when you read it).
Overall, this is just a great fun read, with some fantastic characters, a good story line, that whilst it might not be the best ever Alien Invasion story, it is absolutely worth the read. Make sure you grab a copy, it is definitely worth it!!
April 30, 2019
A SIMPLE MAN'S REVIEW:
I'm up for just about any alien invasion story in the hopes to see a new take on the often-used story, but unfortunately, this one wasn't really new.
The story moves along at a quick, and sometimes unorganized, pace, with plenty of action and killing. The aliens are somewhat interesting although their technology is mostly glossed over. But the biggest problem with this story is that none of the characters are likable. They are all unrealistic and annoying, and at times, you wish for a large meteor to come and end it all.
Skip it!
I'm up for just about any alien invasion story in the hopes to see a new take on the often-used story, but unfortunately, this one wasn't really new.
The story moves along at a quick, and sometimes unorganized, pace, with plenty of action and killing. The aliens are somewhat interesting although their technology is mostly glossed over. But the biggest problem with this story is that none of the characters are likable. They are all unrealistic and annoying, and at times, you wish for a large meteor to come and end it all.
Skip it!
February 9, 2025
Hello There!
This is my first book read by Jasper T Scott. A couple of months ago I discover a number of sci-fi authors that self published a lot of books, including Jasper T Scott, Peter Cawdron, Brandon Q Norris, BV Larson, Craig Allison, Joshua Calvert & Nathan Hystad. IF you search for any of this authors you know that they publish a lot of novels in one year. How I can 'tell you. I mean people go crazy on Brandon Sanderson or King for publishing 2 or 3 novels per year - but some of these publish 5/6 and even more in one year. How they do it I know. Either they had books written but not publish or they leave other stuff unattended (revisions and re-written). Either that, I hope they don't use AI.
My goal in the following months is to read one novel from each and if I enjoy I will buy more. I've already read Cawdron with My Sweet Satan which I gave 80 out of 100. This one is my first from Jasper and I thought it was a good but not excellent. Allow me to explain. This is a book that deals with a alien invasion and it's written in a kind of a thriller. So, aliens with a spaceship the size of Texas invade a little island of Kauai - why? It's quite strange the reasoning and although they are all dead, captured or stand off to their own ship. The survivors are then quarantine and the slow part starts. This book reads like a television script for a Sci-Fi episode and it's 100 pages longer then it should be.
By the end, stuff is explain, the reason the invaders did what they did, how and why - to be fair a bit strangely but it's the story Jasper concocted so I can't really fault there. I think the synopsis and photo bring what happens in the first 50 pages and then it's over.
I will give some spoilers so be warned ... so basically the aliens are controlling the infected people on the island minus some that are immune. Their goal is to escape the quarantine and infect people in charge all over the world. With the important population under their control they would control humanity and reveal themselves. Yeah.. I understand that they were trying to understand if humanity was receptible to being hosts but when they found out that they could why not appear everywhere else? And then the finale is just Deux Ex Machina with the chinese and their ICBM that destroy their texas ship. How many did they sent? How could they sent to space , what was the fallout , well who knows...
end of spoilers..
Don't get me wrong. It's a fast pace book that you can read in a three or four hours because each page is filled with big font and good pace thriller. I just found out some implausible and again, longer than it should. It's the invasion of the body snatchers 2. Overall, good take, I would rate this 69/100. 3.5 almost 4 stars. I Will read more from him - I bought around 6 or 7 of his novels
This is my first book read by Jasper T Scott. A couple of months ago I discover a number of sci-fi authors that self published a lot of books, including Jasper T Scott, Peter Cawdron, Brandon Q Norris, BV Larson, Craig Allison, Joshua Calvert & Nathan Hystad. IF you search for any of this authors you know that they publish a lot of novels in one year. How I can 'tell you. I mean people go crazy on Brandon Sanderson or King for publishing 2 or 3 novels per year - but some of these publish 5/6 and even more in one year. How they do it I know. Either they had books written but not publish or they leave other stuff unattended (revisions and re-written). Either that, I hope they don't use AI.
My goal in the following months is to read one novel from each and if I enjoy I will buy more. I've already read Cawdron with My Sweet Satan which I gave 80 out of 100. This one is my first from Jasper and I thought it was a good but not excellent. Allow me to explain. This is a book that deals with a alien invasion and it's written in a kind of a thriller. So, aliens with a spaceship the size of Texas invade a little island of Kauai - why? It's quite strange the reasoning and although they are all dead, captured or stand off to their own ship. The survivors are then quarantine and the slow part starts. This book reads like a television script for a Sci-Fi episode and it's 100 pages longer then it should be.
By the end, stuff is explain, the reason the invaders did what they did, how and why - to be fair a bit strangely but it's the story Jasper concocted so I can't really fault there. I think the synopsis and photo bring what happens in the first 50 pages and then it's over.
I will give some spoilers so be warned ... so basically the aliens are controlling the infected people on the island minus some that are immune. Their goal is to escape the quarantine and infect people in charge all over the world. With the important population under their control they would control humanity and reveal themselves. Yeah.. I understand that they were trying to understand if humanity was receptible to being hosts but when they found out that they could why not appear everywhere else? And then the finale is just Deux Ex Machina with the chinese and their ICBM that destroy their texas ship. How many did they sent? How could they sent to space , what was the fallout , well who knows...
end of spoilers..
Don't get me wrong. It's a fast pace book that you can read in a three or four hours because each page is filled with big font and good pace thriller. I just found out some implausible and again, longer than it should. It's the invasion of the body snatchers 2. Overall, good take, I would rate this 69/100. 3.5 almost 4 stars. I Will read more from him - I bought around 6 or 7 of his novels
June 8, 2021
This was kind of an Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets Independence Day. It was an interesting take on a limited scope alien invasion. I was puzzled by a few things, though. Something clearly apocalyptic was happening over Hawaii, yet the response of the US military was to send a very small force and to not allow use of lethal force? Even when confronted by some aliens they have cornered, the Marine in charge says they can't use deadly force, but then "“We’re gonna smoke ‘em out and shoot them as they stick their heads out.” The aliens try to start a war with China by shooting one torpedo and the China have a massive response without questioning anything despite knowing a large alien ship might still be there. And the US does not send much in the way to counteract the Chinese attack either. The CDC etc are on the ground to try to ascertain the nature of the contact between the aliens and the people on Kauai but just do limited testing and decide everything is OK after a while because everyone seems fine. I guess they never watched the movie "Alien". The officials outside of the sphere of contamination seem to have very little influence on the people on the island and send no other resources to help anyone. I didn't care for a lot of the characters, though I would want Don and Gibson on my side. The ending seems wraps up very quickly and with not much of an lasting impact.
May 3, 2019
I really enjoyed this audiobook. It had a little something for everybody. What a thrilling alien invasion story. It was almost like The movie Cloverfield meets the video game Dead Island. I found there to be lots of twists and turns throughout this one. There are many side plots which engage nicely with the main alien invasion plot and they all come together at the perfect moment. There is a whole lot of action, a little bit of scary and just enough weird that really makes this one work. The characters are great and you really feel like you know and care about them as the story progresses. Of course there are those characters that you just love to hate and others you just shake your head at but for the most part I really enjoyed following each character and their side plot getting them to the end of this book. There is also a little bit of Island slang language mixed in there that feels really authentic and like the author did his homework. The performance was top-notch in this one and really carries and adds value to the story. There is a wide range of characters of both male and female throughout this one and each voice is done very very nicely. The characters experience a lot of fear in this story and the narrator does a fabulous job portraying this in their voices. This was a very enjoyable listen and a very very ruined vacation for some of the characters.
July 21, 2022
Zonneschaduw is een standalone van Jasper T. Scott. Eerder las ik al Stelsel Onbekend door deze auteur. Ook deze science-fiction thriller heeft wederom een prachtige cover. In dit boek neemt Jasper T. Scott de lezer mee op een tropische vakantie. Maar wat zal ik van dit verhaal vinden?
Lees nu mijn volledige recensie op mijn blog Boekensteeg
Lees nu mijn volledige recensie op mijn blog Boekensteeg
December 18, 2018
In my opinion, Jasper Scott has a rip-snorting success in Under Darkness. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, there were so many subplots in this action-packed novel that it literally galloped from the first chapter to the end.
Little did Bill Steel know when he bought a hotel in Hawaii that his dangerously mounting stress levels from sewer problems, a rebellious daughter and belligerent guests would soon be tested beyond anything even he could have imagined. The Koa Kai was about to become ground zero for most the stressful, life-changing event in his lifetime. Attacks that came out of nowhere by invisible extraterrestrials equipped with teeth and rapier-sharp claws would test his physical and emotional strength to the limit as Bill tried to save his daughter and to single-handedly evacuate the hotel. But the most frightening prospects became the virus the aliens brought, and the reason they were methodically starting a culling process. Was the CDC there to help the Koa Kai’s tourists or to help spread the virus for the aliens?
Do yourself a favor and get a copy of Under Darkness for Christmas. I guarantee you will not put it down.
Little did Bill Steel know when he bought a hotel in Hawaii that his dangerously mounting stress levels from sewer problems, a rebellious daughter and belligerent guests would soon be tested beyond anything even he could have imagined. The Koa Kai was about to become ground zero for most the stressful, life-changing event in his lifetime. Attacks that came out of nowhere by invisible extraterrestrials equipped with teeth and rapier-sharp claws would test his physical and emotional strength to the limit as Bill tried to save his daughter and to single-handedly evacuate the hotel. But the most frightening prospects became the virus the aliens brought, and the reason they were methodically starting a culling process. Was the CDC there to help the Koa Kai’s tourists or to help spread the virus for the aliens?
Do yourself a favor and get a copy of Under Darkness for Christmas. I guarantee you will not put it down.
December 17, 2018
I was lucky enough to read an ARC copy of this book for free but this in no way influences my opinion. I really enjoyed this book, once I started, I found it hard to put down. The characters and plot were substantial and likeable, the story is well written and picks up pace swiftly with engaging twists and turns that made it difficult to stop reading. I enjoyed the fresh take and mix of sci-fi plots which hold the suspense to the final pages. I grew up with the likes of Isaac Asimov and David Gemmel and I rate Jasper as one of my top modern authors and would recommend any of his work.
January 24, 2019
It starts out pretty simple and then it quickly picks up the pace and keeps going until the very end. The characters are well written,believable and very well likeable and I was silently rooting for poor Toby. I thought maybe some how?! Time jumps in books can sometime slow it down or even derail a story and make you feel like you missed out on something but not so true with Under Darkness. There are several time jumps in this and they help to keep the progressing of the story moving right along. I would really like to see Under Darkness turned into a motion picture. The aliens and the tech that Mr. Scott has created would be fantastic for visual effects.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2018
Being a long time fan of Jasper Scott's work, this was not what I was expecting. In fact, it was different from most Sci-If books I have read. If you need Plasma-Blasters, Laser-Weapons, Particle-Beams, Photon-Torpedoes and other futuristic hi-tech weapons you will be surprised by their absence. How in the world (Oops-Universe) can an Alien Invasion of the earth occur without the Aliens scaring the Crap out of us with their awesome advanced weaponry? I hate to give away Plot Lines or key elements of any book in a review so I'll just say, Yep! They Do. And it works. However, yeah, there's always that "However" or a "But" and this book is no different.
I was reminded of the old TV Detective "Columbo" when reading this book. No, the actual "Murder" or "Event" wasn't depicted as the first thing in the story but, the details of the Invasion are gradually revealed and you'll feel like a great mystery is being slowly explained.
Many books in this genre take the reader along for a wild Sci-Fi ride through space with loads of action and battles with extreme weaponry but I found this book to be much more of a mental experience.
Understanding the cause and effect of the Aliens methods to take Earth away from us is the thrill of this book. Don't misunderstand and think there's little Science contained here. After all, the invading Aliens have a Massive Space-ship "the size of Texas", arrived without being detected, can shuttle back and forth between Earth and their craft, and...well anymore and I'll be giving important details away. Here's one small detail, some characters live and, some don't.
Review by THE HOLEY ONE
I was reminded of the old TV Detective "Columbo" when reading this book. No, the actual "Murder" or "Event" wasn't depicted as the first thing in the story but, the details of the Invasion are gradually revealed and you'll feel like a great mystery is being slowly explained.
Many books in this genre take the reader along for a wild Sci-Fi ride through space with loads of action and battles with extreme weaponry but I found this book to be much more of a mental experience.
Understanding the cause and effect of the Aliens methods to take Earth away from us is the thrill of this book. Don't misunderstand and think there's little Science contained here. After all, the invading Aliens have a Massive Space-ship "the size of Texas", arrived without being detected, can shuttle back and forth between Earth and their craft, and...well anymore and I'll be giving important details away. Here's one small detail, some characters live and, some don't.
Review by THE HOLEY ONE
December 26, 2018
Under Darkness
We quickly learn that Bill Steele lives on and owns a resort in Hawaii. Divorced, but has custody of his teenage daughter who is some what of a troubled teen who just so happens to be dating her dad’s employee, Toby, the surf instructor. the last “nor,al” day to day activity for Steele and his daughter goes as well as anyone can be expected...he’s losing customers due to bad plumbing issues while his daughter is being suspended from school for questioning a boys manhood and breaking his nose, despite that boy punching her and giving her black eye. Bill won’t listen to her side of it and he wonders why she’s a troubled teen.
Shortly after arriving back to the resort, what appears to be an eclipse takes places but just as quickly the island is under attack from aliens, who slaughter many and infect others and just as quickly disappears, leaving the inhabitants and guests of the island in quarantine while the CDC try’s to figure out if and how the inhabitants have been infected. This quarantine and release of knowledge of extra terrestrial life supplies the US with pressure from the world to release any information on the invasion especially from the Chinese which leads to a major battle.
This story is faced paced but thrilling and will keep you on the edge of your seat. It does have everything you expect in a science fiction novel with a Hollywood ending.
We quickly learn that Bill Steele lives on and owns a resort in Hawaii. Divorced, but has custody of his teenage daughter who is some what of a troubled teen who just so happens to be dating her dad’s employee, Toby, the surf instructor. the last “nor,al” day to day activity for Steele and his daughter goes as well as anyone can be expected...he’s losing customers due to bad plumbing issues while his daughter is being suspended from school for questioning a boys manhood and breaking his nose, despite that boy punching her and giving her black eye. Bill won’t listen to her side of it and he wonders why she’s a troubled teen.
Shortly after arriving back to the resort, what appears to be an eclipse takes places but just as quickly the island is under attack from aliens, who slaughter many and infect others and just as quickly disappears, leaving the inhabitants and guests of the island in quarantine while the CDC try’s to figure out if and how the inhabitants have been infected. This quarantine and release of knowledge of extra terrestrial life supplies the US with pressure from the world to release any information on the invasion especially from the Chinese which leads to a major battle.
This story is faced paced but thrilling and will keep you on the edge of your seat. It does have everything you expect in a science fiction novel with a Hollywood ending.
December 28, 2018
Oh, I miss Little Green Aliens!
These are possible the most frightening aliens I’ve ever read about and I’ve read lots! The first were truly awful, enormous with four deadly claws and a hoof that turns into a mouth. Their intelligent masters are even worse with four heads, arms and legs. Worse of all they are almost impossible to kill, it takes a direct shot to the eye or blow apart to destroy them.
They send the first seaders to infect many humans. After they are infected then the masters can control them like puppets. The human is trapped inside paralyzed, unable to use their own body, while the alien takes complete control.
Lucky for humanity many humans are immune to the aliens infection. The aliens try to kill all of these buy find it impossible.
They have limited the invasion to a small island in Hawaii. The CDC kept it in quarantine as long as possible. It’s when the quarantine is about to be lifted that the determination of those immune to the infection and the involvement of the Chinese brings the book to an exciting conclusion.
These are possible the most frightening aliens I’ve ever read about and I’ve read lots! The first were truly awful, enormous with four deadly claws and a hoof that turns into a mouth. Their intelligent masters are even worse with four heads, arms and legs. Worse of all they are almost impossible to kill, it takes a direct shot to the eye or blow apart to destroy them.
They send the first seaders to infect many humans. After they are infected then the masters can control them like puppets. The human is trapped inside paralyzed, unable to use their own body, while the alien takes complete control.
Lucky for humanity many humans are immune to the aliens infection. The aliens try to kill all of these buy find it impossible.
They have limited the invasion to a small island in Hawaii. The CDC kept it in quarantine as long as possible. It’s when the quarantine is about to be lifted that the determination of those immune to the infection and the involvement of the Chinese brings the book to an exciting conclusion.
September 14, 2019
A clever take on the Alien Invasion storyline. Some parallels with Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, and Independence Day. Mr. Scott presents, as usual for him, a set of flawed, unlikable characters dealing with extraordinary events. He shows his characters dealing with both BIG world-changing events, and also mundane day-to-day problems. Generally, I liked most of the writing for the many action and adventure scenes. I thought the character development was OK. The book structure was just a little awkward for me. Many of the chapters are very short. The time jumps and the transitions between plotlines were a little rough at times. My biggest gripe is that the overall story arc is hard to swallow, even for SciFi. Supposedly, hostile Aliens from a Texas-sized spaceship invade part of Hawaii, and even weeks or months later, the only US government response is a limited Navy task force and a modest CDC team? The Chinese military is somehow able to attack without a full-scale US military engagement? And no other countries interfere? I get that some of this stuff was needed to make the plot work, but it does stretch reality a lot. Overall, an entertaining SciFi story.
July 5, 2019
This was Different
And for that, I am thankful.
At first I thought this was going to be done kind of a satire or parody. Ya gotta admit, the tale of a rather hapless innkeeper does have its moments. I worked in the Hawaiian resort industry in my younger days and can attest to the attitudes displayed by the guests depicted here.
It would all be funny if not for the aliens. . . .
Mr. Scott's alien invasion is different from others I have read, though the ultimate goal remains a constant.
Centered around Beth Steele and her father, Scott takes us through scenes of terror and sadness and even moments of triumph and sacrifice.
It was hard to get into the story at first because I don't like horror stories ( "No! Don't go into that dark room!" ). I am a stuck it out because it its more than that and more than *Independence Day*.
If you're looking for something besides a space opera, you've come to the right place.
And for that, I am thankful.
At first I thought this was going to be done kind of a satire or parody. Ya gotta admit, the tale of a rather hapless innkeeper does have its moments. I worked in the Hawaiian resort industry in my younger days and can attest to the attitudes displayed by the guests depicted here.
It would all be funny if not for the aliens. . . .
Mr. Scott's alien invasion is different from others I have read, though the ultimate goal remains a constant.
Centered around Beth Steele and her father, Scott takes us through scenes of terror and sadness and even moments of triumph and sacrifice.
It was hard to get into the story at first because I don't like horror stories ( "No! Don't go into that dark room!" ). I am a stuck it out because it its more than that and more than *Independence Day*.
If you're looking for something besides a space opera, you've come to the right place.
August 27, 2022
Zonneschaduw is een geheimzinnig, spannend en intrigerend verhaal. Totaal onverwachts verandert het leven van Bill en zijn dochter Beth, wanneer het opeens donker wordt en er meteoren naar beneden lijken te vallen. Maar dan blijken er onbekende wezens op het eiland te zijn geland en moet iedereen vechten voor zijn of haar leven. Daarbij heeft Jasper T. Scott met de opbouw in Zonneschaduw ervoor gezorgd dat het verhaal vanaf pagina één geheimzinnig en spannend blijft tot het einde. De gebeurtenissen daarentegen zorgen ervoor dat de lezer getriggerd blijft om te blijven lezen om meer duidelijkheid te krijgen over de onbekende wezens. En ook lijkt niet alles in Zonneschaduw helemaal goed af te lopen, wat het verhaal tevens ook logischer en ‘echter’ maakt. --> Vanaf 20 augustus is de hele recensie te lezen op mijn blog: www.elinebooks.com
February 20, 2021
Good story but . . .
Good story. Lots of action that kept my interest through most of the book. I also enjoyed the aliens because they were different than the run of the mill types. They were not just an intelligent version of some animal from earth, or basically humans with some minor difference as is too common in science fiction. So, why two stars? Couldn't finish the book because of the sex and language. By the latter part of the book there were f-bombs on most every page, often several, not to mention the other foul language. I wish Kindle books had ratings so I didn't have to waste my time so often.
Good story. Lots of action that kept my interest through most of the book. I also enjoyed the aliens because they were different than the run of the mill types. They were not just an intelligent version of some animal from earth, or basically humans with some minor difference as is too common in science fiction. So, why two stars? Couldn't finish the book because of the sex and language. By the latter part of the book there were f-bombs on most every page, often several, not to mention the other foul language. I wish Kindle books had ratings so I didn't have to waste my time so often.
December 25, 2018
This was a great read. Alien invasion but without the technically advanced war machines. Instead, creatures are sent down to infect the population with an undetectable virus intended to facilitate control of the human race. Starting small they invade a small island near Hawaii where Bill Steele operates a resort. His 15 year old daughter is full into the melee as they all try to survive the onslaught with one of the other guests (a prepper). A lot of action, some twists in the plot and satisfying ending, albeit a bit too conveniently achieved.
February 11, 2019
Under Darkness is a fun book, offering us twists on the alien invasion themes, this time in Hawaii and with the added bonus of international intrigue. I enjoyed it. Scott's writing style is good, and the novel is fast paced with a handful of main characters and a few unexpected twists. Best of all, there is no cliffhanger nor any set up for sequels or a series.
My full review is here: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/und...
My full review is here: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/und...
August 19, 2019
Great Sci-Fi Thriller
I've been looking for a good standalone book, one with lots of action and a sci-fi or paranormal them. It is hard. Everyone has Book 1, Book 2, through Book 6 and quite frankly it's getting old. Under Darkness had a great alien invasion theme with a twist and lots of action that had me constantly reaching for my Kindle. The storyline flowed well and I always love a book with multiple POVs, it allows for a more fulfilling story. All of that in one book, imagine that.
I've been looking for a good standalone book, one with lots of action and a sci-fi or paranormal them. It is hard. Everyone has Book 1, Book 2, through Book 6 and quite frankly it's getting old. Under Darkness had a great alien invasion theme with a twist and lots of action that had me constantly reaching for my Kindle. The storyline flowed well and I always love a book with multiple POVs, it allows for a more fulfilling story. All of that in one book, imagine that.
August 23, 2019
A great read
This book caught my eye because it was listed as a standalone, so no need to read 9 books to get closure. It's really well written, with a mix of sci-fi ideas which blend well. The story builds up quickly but solidly,especially the characters. The last 30 per cent of the book does seem a tad rushed ,however that is forgivable as the preceding story builds up so well. It's fun,tragic, intriguing with action and mystery. I do feel there's still more than can be written in this universe.
This book caught my eye because it was listed as a standalone, so no need to read 9 books to get closure. It's really well written, with a mix of sci-fi ideas which blend well. The story builds up quickly but solidly,especially the characters. The last 30 per cent of the book does seem a tad rushed ,however that is forgivable as the preceding story builds up so well. It's fun,tragic, intriguing with action and mystery. I do feel there's still more than can be written in this universe.
March 19, 2020
Scifi horror
I wasn't quite sure about this book at first but it somewhat grew on me. I didn't love it but didn't hate it. I enjoyed the "invasion of the body snatchers" theme and plot Jasper when with. I do wish he would have developed his side characters a bit more and gave us a more impactful story arc. Additionally, I wasn't quite sure which character was the main character. It started out with one guy being the main character and then switched to another guy, which I wasn't a fan of.
I wasn't quite sure about this book at first but it somewhat grew on me. I didn't love it but didn't hate it. I enjoyed the "invasion of the body snatchers" theme and plot Jasper when with. I do wish he would have developed his side characters a bit more and gave us a more impactful story arc. Additionally, I wasn't quite sure which character was the main character. It started out with one guy being the main character and then switched to another guy, which I wasn't a fan of.
March 14, 2023
More Thriller than Sci-Fi
I picked this book up because I am a fan of Jasper Scott’s writing and because I lived on Kauai for a couple of years; and the descriptions of Kauai seemed fairly accurate. The first quarter and last quarter of the book deal with fighting the aliens, which are basically monsters. Fortunately, the violence isn’t overbearing.
I would say this book leans more on the thriller side than the sci-fi side but nevertheless, a nice read with a satisfying ending.
I picked this book up because I am a fan of Jasper Scott’s writing and because I lived on Kauai for a couple of years; and the descriptions of Kauai seemed fairly accurate. The first quarter and last quarter of the book deal with fighting the aliens, which are basically monsters. Fortunately, the violence isn’t overbearing.
I would say this book leans more on the thriller side than the sci-fi side but nevertheless, a nice read with a satisfying ending.
December 23, 2023
A Wave of Relief……..
Jasper wrote a suspenseful twisting story. Aliens, if there are any, would be as hard to comprehend as me, an English only speaking Canadian, going to sleep and waking up in Siberia. However, when Ashley, Beth and Don discover the antidote against this group of invaders a relief came over me. Then the plot twists came, and like a rollercoaster the ride went racing down another slope.
Finally the last chapter brought relief, but that is a spoiler and you have to read the book for yourself.
Jasper wrote a suspenseful twisting story. Aliens, if there are any, would be as hard to comprehend as me, an English only speaking Canadian, going to sleep and waking up in Siberia. However, when Ashley, Beth and Don discover the antidote against this group of invaders a relief came over me. Then the plot twists came, and like a rollercoaster the ride went racing down another slope.
Finally the last chapter brought relief, but that is a spoiler and you have to read the book for yourself.
December 31, 2018
Slowly predictable
I finished it, but it was a little painful, I was waiting for the predictable alien invasion and the small group saved the world. It happened, I finished.
I didn't enjoy this like I enjoyed Jasper T Scott's other books I have read, who's characters were more likable and developed more.
The beginning was drawn out and everything happened in latter part of the book.
I was disappointed, but didn't give up on it. A light read.
I finished it, but it was a little painful, I was waiting for the predictable alien invasion and the small group saved the world. It happened, I finished.
I didn't enjoy this like I enjoyed Jasper T Scott's other books I have read, who's characters were more likable and developed more.
The beginning was drawn out and everything happened in latter part of the book.
I was disappointed, but didn't give up on it. A light read.
January 30, 2019
That was a wild ride!
I used to read apocalyptic novels when I was younger but have veered away from them in my “old” age. They were just too exhausting, depressing, etc.
But somehow I bought this novel and decided to go forward with it.
I thoroughly enjoyed it although it was still exhausting. I read it nonstop and I wasn’t disappointed at the end. I was actually sad that this is a stand-alone. On that note I will not say anything more.
I used to read apocalyptic novels when I was younger but have veered away from them in my “old” age. They were just too exhausting, depressing, etc.
But somehow I bought this novel and decided to go forward with it.
I thoroughly enjoyed it although it was still exhausting. I read it nonstop and I wasn’t disappointed at the end. I was actually sad that this is a stand-alone. On that note I will not say anything more.
September 30, 2019
Could not put it down, a great read
Wow, this fast paced story is engaging, I read The whole book in one go. From the holiday in hell with poor plumbing to alien invasion that you survive if a suitable specimen or immune. So who is which, who can you trust. The core characters provide interest in interactions as two switch from alien control to normal, creating chaos. The finale is destructive to the world but humans won through
Wow, this fast paced story is engaging, I read The whole book in one go. From the holiday in hell with poor plumbing to alien invasion that you survive if a suitable specimen or immune. So who is which, who can you trust. The core characters provide interest in interactions as two switch from alien control to normal, creating chaos. The finale is destructive to the world but humans won through
July 26, 2020
An absolutely awesome book
This was a page turner, don't put down, great novel. Fast paced, but easy to follow, the adventure would follow you to your dreams and beyind. You needed to know what was coming next.
Love the fact that is a stand alone book, in the great tradition of the fantastic works of yesteryear.
Highly recommended.
If you like Alien invasion sci-fi, this book was written for you.
This was a page turner, don't put down, great novel. Fast paced, but easy to follow, the adventure would follow you to your dreams and beyind. You needed to know what was coming next.
Love the fact that is a stand alone book, in the great tradition of the fantastic works of yesteryear.
Highly recommended.
If you like Alien invasion sci-fi, this book was written for you.
October 19, 2020
It was a good books to read.
The author did a good job with this books, I sometimes get bored when I read depending on how it we written. But I very much enjoyed the books , you are taken on journey that a lot of ups and downs. The author at times leaves you wondering if this could really happen , you sometimes almost really believe that this is going on. Great job on the books.
The author did a good job with this books, I sometimes get bored when I read depending on how it we written. But I very much enjoyed the books , you are taken on journey that a lot of ups and downs. The author at times leaves you wondering if this could really happen , you sometimes almost really believe that this is going on. Great job on the books.
May 24, 2021
This was an awesome book, and one of my favorites thus far. There was a lot of action throughout the book, and lots of tense moments in between. Jasper Scott is such an amazing writer, and what an imagination. I could never have imagine coming up with any of this stuff. Guess that's what made it so much fun to read. I really like that this was a stand alone book instead of a series. It was a really hard to put down book, and would recommend you try this book if you like a good Sci-Fi Thriller.
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